Page 56 of Bound To Be Mine

She stood immediately, like she’d already known I was going to say yes.

“Try to look enthusiastic,” she said. “You’re a newlywed.”

“I’m thrilled,” I said flatly.

She laughed all the way to the door.

18

MANDY

We set out, stopping to ask a couple of people if they’d seen the horse and carriage. Someone pointed us down a side street. And to my delight, it was the same white carriage with two beautiful horses, patiently waiting for passengers.

The driver was perched on the box seat, scrolling through his phone. He was somewhere in his sixties with a white mustache that belonged in a different century. He was actually wearing a top hat and a white coat. I searched my memory… and blank. I didn’t remember him.

He looked up when we approached.

Then he looked again.

Then he let out a laugh. The horses shifted and looked around.

“That’s not good,” Briggs said under his breath. “You just walked me into an arrest.”

“Relax,” I said.

“Hello.” I smiled up at the man. “We have a question.”

He looked amused. “I bet you do.”

Briggs and I exchanged a glance.

“I take it you know us,” Briggs said.

“Know you?” The man climbed down from the box. He was shorter than I expected, barely reaching Briggs’s shoulder. He was grinning ear to ear. “Son, you are the highlight of my entire career. Seventeen years I’ve been doing this. Seventeen years.” He stuck out his hand. “Gary.”

“Briggs.”

“Oh, I know who you are.” Gary pumped his hand enthusiastically, then turned to me. “And you’re the bride. How you doing, sweetheart?”

“Honestly, Gary, I’ve been better.”

He laughed again. “I’ll bet. You two remember me?”

“We don’t remember much of anything,” I admitted. “I’m afraid we might have overdone it a bit. I saw a video online⁠—”

Briggs elbowed me.

As if pointing out that the evidence of our misdeeds was available was going to make the situation worse.

I forced a tight smile. “As I was saying, I saw a video of us enjoying a ride in your carriage. I was wondering if you could tell us where we, uh, went.”

I wasn’t going to implicate us in the theft.

He laughed again. “I can tell you where I picked up my carriage after you borrowed it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Briggs said.

“You paid me five grand,” Gary said. “Don’t apologize.”